crawljey



May 15, 1923. 1,455,110

M. C. CRAWLEY RIBBON uacimu s11 Filed July 25, 1922 4 Sheets-Shut 1 INVENTOR A TTORNE Y5 May 15, 1923. 1,455,110

, M. c. CRAWLEY RIBBON MECHANISM Filed July 25. 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 27 I Q Q 26 g 11v lg-INTOR A TTORNE Y6 May 15, 1923. 1,455,110

M. c. CRAWLEY RI BBON MEGHAIISI Filed July 25. 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 A TTORNE Y5,

Patented May 15, 1923.

MANSFIELD C. CRAVILEY, 0F GROTON, 'NEi/i? YORK, ASSIGNGR TO'ADIDOGRAPH COM- PANY, DE LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

RIBBON ltEECHANISItI.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MANsrinLn O. CRAw- LE1, a citizen the United States of America, and a resident of Groton, county of Tompkins, and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful improvements in Ribbon Mechanisms, of which the follow-- ing is a full and clear specification. I

This invention has for its ob]ect to provide a simple mechanism for reversing the (111'60- tion of wind of the ribbon upon exhaustion of the ribbon from one of the spools and also simple mechanism. for actuatingthe ribbon feed from a power-driven typeebar actuator,

as more fully hereinafter set forth.

In the drawing- Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a motor-operated typewriting machine showing my invention applied thereto;

ing the ribbon-reverse mechanism;

Fi s. 3 4 and 5 are views showin details, a: 7

of the reversing mechanism; v i a c Fig. 6 is a plan view partly in horizontal section showing my invention applied to a motor-operated typewriting machine;

Figs. 7 and 8 are vertical sectional views showing the ribbon-feed mechanism in dif,

.ferent positions; I a

F ig. 9 is a view showing details hereinafter described. r Referring to the four sheets of drawing annexed, 10 designates an electric motor mounted at the rear of the machine and belted to a pulley 11 aflixed to a countershaft 12. This shaft 12,througl suitable mechanism, such for instance as shown in my former Patent No. 1,156,061, is adapted to pull back a type-bar actuator consisting, generally, of an arcuate bar 13 mounted to swing fore and aft on pendant arms 14, a coil spring 15 being provided for throwing the type-bar actuator forwardly whenthe holdback latch is released by a key in the key forth in the afore board, as more fully set said patent. I p

Attached to the type-bar actuator is the rear end of a link 16, this connection'being by means of a pendant arm 17 pivotally mountedon the tensioning shaft .18 of the actuating spring 15 and rigidly connected to one of the adjacent swinging arms 14 of the actuator, so that the link 16 will partake of the fore-and-aft movement of; the type bar actuator. The forward end of the link.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view show- Applicationfilcd Jur 25,1922. Serial no. 577,360. 2

16 is pivota'lly connected to the upper end of r a lever 19 carryinga pawl 20 whichis adapted tonormally engage the teeth of a ratchet wheel 21, this ratchet wheel being affixed to the transverse ribbon-feed shaft 22. The

feed takes place on the return, non-working stroke of the type-bar actuator, thereby putting upon the electr1c-motor mechanism the work of feeding the ribbon, this being de-,

sirablebecause of the fact that it'relieves the spring-actuated, forward, working stroke of the actuator .of the duty of feeding the rib icon and thus contributes to uniformity of printing. 1

The feed shaft 22 is adapted to slide longitudinally in its bearings 23 and. carries a pairof crown-gears 24-, one at each side of .the inach1ne,w1th teeth facing outwardly toward the respective sides of the machine.

Adapted'to mesh with the gears 24 isa pair of similar gears 25, one being afiixed to the lowerend, of each of the spool-shafts 26, the teeth of these ears 25 facing downwardly. The teeth of thegears 2 1 and 25 are not bevel-gears, but are in the form of pins,

so as'to thereby eliminate all tendency while in mesh to either remain in mesh or to demesh by a thrust action, whereby the gears may be demeshed atone sideand meshed at the other side by a slight endwise thrust on the shaft 22.

Pivoted on the frame of the machine, under each spool, 1s a vertical lever 27 whose boon, and affixed to the ribbon, near each end insane I'upper end is forked; so to straddle the ribthereof, is a button or other obstruction 28 which, when the ribbonis exhausted from the spool, will contact with the forked-end of thelever and swing the lever toward the opposite side of the machine. The lower ends of the ,levers'27. are connected by a downwardly-bowed rod 29 which is pivotallyconnected to a link 30.

; The bar 29 is adapted to operate, through i the medium. of said link 30, a reversible thrust device preferably constructed as follows: The freeiend of the link 30 is pivotally connected at 31 to the rear, free end of a snap-over lever 32 whose forward-end is pivotally connected to a bracket 33 station-- arily aliiXed to the frame of the machine. The lever 32 desirably consists of a sheetmetal yoke whose flat arms embrace two Stationaryflat plates 34 formed on saidbracket 33,the forward-ends of the arms of the yoke being pivotally connected to the plates 34L at 35. Pivotally mounted between the plates 84, at'their rear ends, 1, e., at a point 36,

directly to the rear of the pivot 35, is the rear-end of a lever 36 Whose forward-end is formed into tork 3? Whose forward-ends engage in a groove 38 of a collar attired to the shatt 22. This lever 36 is desirably stamped up from sheet-metal, the rear \vardly extending part consisting of two plates adapted to nicely lit against the inner faces oi? the stationary plate The bar is also desirably made or". sheet metal, provided with flat, rcarvxardly pro ie ring; ears 39 which tit between. the arms o't lever 32. By reason. of thus making: various parts of this mechanism of pieces fitting against each other flatwise, the parts are guided and supported in their movements, the pivots being thereby relieyed of strain, mahingthe mechanism durable and easy to operate Connecting; the fork lever 36 to the outer end of the snapover lever 32 is a retractile coil spr c at,

the points of connection of this spring being such that as the snap-over lever 32 is swung back and forth the spring will pas back and "forth across the center or th pivotal point 36 oi? the fork lever.

Then one. of the buttons 28 swine-1s its adjacentfork lever inwardly, the bar 529 will be moved endvvisely in the opposite direction and thus swing the snap-over lever to the limitof its movement in the same di-' rection. This movement of the snap-over lever 32 reverses the direction oi? ullout the till a center and the vopposite side of the machine.

spring s0 and thus, by quick, snap-over action, reverses the direction otthe thrust of the torlrll? on the shaft 22. The spring;- l0 is strong enough to pull the shaft to one side or the other, according to Which position it is shifted to. It will thus be seen that when the spring l is tnus snapped over direction of thrust ot the fork is thus reversed, the feed shaft 22 will be instantly shifted over to bring its op-v posite pair of gears into mesh and these opposite gears will be held in mesh until the direction of thrust of the fork 37 is I shifted by the operation of the button at It will be noted that the type O'l' spring I employ and its arrangement in a snap-over reversing device is such that the reversin cg action is accomplished by merely distending the spring far enough to permit the snap-over lever The power thus re- 32 to pass over center. quired for slightly distending; the spring" is solittle to exert no appreciable pulling effect on the ribbon, while at the same time the power of the spring after reversal is amply slufiicient to not only slide the feedshaft22 but hold the gears in mesh until the spring is again reversed.

It will thus be seen that in its preferred form the invention lies in the idea of, first, employing a thrusting device requiring but a slight exertion of power to reverse it, and, secondly, accomplishing this reversing action by direct connection with the ribbon, i. e., Without directly pulling or pushing the shart 22 but leaving that Work to be done by the thrust-spring. It Will be understood also that it is not absolutely necessary that the shaft shall be shitted the instant the thrust device is reversed, since With certain types of gears or ii": the bearings of the shaft 22 are dirty or rusted, the reversal of the shaft might be delayed until it is subsequently jarred by being stepped around one or more times through the medium oi, the ribbon-teed mechanism. By the use of the pin crown nears, however (by which al tendency oi? the to deinesh or stay in mesh is neutralizedl the shit ting action will take place instantly the snai over spring passes over center 36.

It will be observed turther that when the. spring; l-O passes over center, it not only reverses the thrust of the it'orl; 37 but also exerts its force to move the connecting-rod 29 in the direction of the movement ot the rod. This action results in quickly throwing th forked-end of the lever 52'? that is in action away from the button on the ribbon, whereby the feeding" of the ribbon may continue in the same direction a limited distancbefore the button ran again come into contactwith the tork. This Will give ample time for accoml'ilishing the reversalol the gearing beforevthe button again contacts with the fork, thereby making; it doubly sure that destructive strain on the ribbon will be avoided.

This application a substi ute in part for my co-pending app ication Serial No. 188,773, filed August 29, 191?.

, ll hat I claim is:

i. In a typervriting machine, a motoractuated type-bar actuator-bar suspended on depending arms, a ribbon-teed mechanism embodying a ratchet device, and a rear- WilltllY-QXlOndliig link connectin said ratchct device to one of said depending arms, whereby the reciprocation of the actuatorbar by the motor Will operate the ratchet ribbon-teed. I

2. In a typewriting machine, a type bar actuator embodying a transverse shaft and a paif of depending arms carrying the actu-, ator bar, an arm pivotally mounted on said shalt and connected to one of said depending; arms, a ratchet ribbon-feed device, and a link pivotally connecting the arm pivotally mounted on. the shaft to said ratchet device,

3. In a typervriting machine, a ribbon feeding mechanism embodying a transverse endWisely-shiitable shaft carrying gears, a spring-actuated reversible snap-over device connected to this shaft at one end, a link pivotally connected at one end to the other end of said snap-over device, a bar extending transversely of the machine and pivotally connected to the other end of said link, and, a pair of ribbon-actuated levers pivotally mounted on the machine frame andhaving their lower ends pivotally connected to the ends of said bar.

4;. In a typewriting machine, a ribbon feeding mechanism embodying two sets of gears and an endwiselymovable driVeshait carrying the driving gear of each set, said drive-shaft being adapted to be rotated by the writing machinery, a ribboirreversing mechanism embodying thrust means adapted to resiliently force the shaft in one direction or the other and consisting of a snap-over lever having one end pivoted to the frame of the machine, a fork-lever likewise pivoted'to the frame of the machine at a point adjacent to the pivot of the snap-over lever, this forklever being unconnected to said snap-over lever, a. retractile spring connecting the snapover lever to the fork-lever, and means actuated by the ribbon for reversing said thrust means.

5, In a typewriting machine, a ribbon- :leeding mechanism embodying two sets of gears and an endwiselymovable drive-shaftcarrying the driving gear of each set, said drive-shaft being adapted to be rotated by the writing machinery, a ribbon-reversing iei-hanism embodying thrust means adapted to resiliently force the shaft in one direction or the other and consisting of a snap-over lever having one end pivoted to the frame of the machine, a iorlnlever likewise pivoted-to the frame of the machine at a point adjacent to the pivot of the snap-over lever, this fork-lever being unconnected to said snapover lever, a retractile spring connecting the snap-over lever to the fork-lever, and means actuated by the ribbon for reversing said thrust means embodying a laterally-movable member pivotally connected to the free end of the snap-over lever.

6. In a typewriting machine, a ribboni'ecding-anda'eversing mechanism embodying two pairs of gears, one of which is carsignature.

ried on an endwisely-movable drive-shaft, areversible snap-over thrust device to hold the drive-shaft in either of its twodriving positions and ribbon-actuated means for reversingsaid thrust device, said thrust device embodying a pair of separated supportingplates 34 mounted on the frame, a snap-over lever 32 embodying two plates pivotally mounted on said supportingplates and embracing the outer faces thereof,a fork-lever pivotally mounted on said supporting-plates and consisting of two separated plates lying between said supporting-plates, and a contractile spring connecting the fork-lever to the outer end of the snap-over lever and housed within the plates constituting said levers.

7. In a typewriting machine, a ribbonfeeding mechanism embodying two sets of gears and anendwisely-movable drive-shaft carrying the driving gear of each set, said drive shaft being adapted to be rotated by the-writing machinery, a ribbon-reversing mechanism embodying thrust means adapted to resiliently force the shaft in one direction or the other and consisting of a snap-over lever having one end pivoted to theframe of the machine at a point adjacent to the driveshaft, a ibbon-actuated means connected to a link connecting said ratchet device to one 7 of the swinging parts of said actuatorframe, whereby reciprocation of the actuator-frame by the motor will operate the ratchet ribbon-feed.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my MANSFIELD o. ORAWLEY. 

